Rein-handle



(No Model.)

0. K. BARLOW.

REIN HANDLE. 4

No. 338,581. Patented Mar-.23, 1886.

WIIIIIIIIIII' I I wfqegisefir lnVem or:

IIIIIIIIIIII I N. PLYiRS, Pwlo-Liflwwher. Wilmington. D. C.

1 NTED STATES PATENT rrrcet CHARLES R. BARLOIV, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NE\V YORK.

RElN-HANDLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 338,581, dated March 23, 1886.

Application filed December 14, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES K. BARLOW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Poughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rein-Handles, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to rein-handles; and it consists in the application of flexible rubber to the hand parts of reins in such a way as to prevent any slipping of the hands, a result which may be accomplished,preferably,by an adjustable close-fitting soft-rubber tubingsheath, of any desired length, with a longitudinal aperture somewhat smaller in its dimensions than the rein it is to cover, so that after being stretched over the leather or Webbing rein it remains firmly fixed where it is placed, and affords to the driver a soft pliable rein-handle, which offers upon pressure such resistance to slipping of .the hands or gloves as to enable one man to exert easily the power of several men with the ordinary rein in controlling a horse or other animal.

The principal features of my device are as follows: The soft-rubber tubing-sheath may be of any desired length-say from six inches to three feet, according as the driver may preferto have a less or greater portion of the reins covered. The rubber should have more or less marked corrugations on its surface, or if it be thought necessary to obviate still further the possibility of slipping in the hands, the rubber may have at convenient intervals-- say of about ahandwidthre-enforced friction'flauges, which, by their raised surfaces back of the hand or fingers, give additional means of a firm yet easy grip on the reinhandle. The tubingsheath should be made of a fine quality of rubber, which combines durability, lightness, and flexibility, and its longitudinal aperture should correspond in shape somewhat with the flat form of the rein, (though I do not confine myself to any particular shape for the tubing sheath,) and it should be enough smaller than the rein to enable its elasticity,when the rubber is drawn over the leather to the desired position, to hold it firmly to place. A tubing-sheath small enough-say from oneeighth to one-quarter of an inch smaller than the leather or webbingcan be readily worked into place, if it Serial No. 185580. (No model.)

be moistened before stretching it over the rein. The ends of the rubber tubing-sheath should be beveled to make a smooth finish, and the inner circumference should be a little smaller there than at the other points of the tubing, so that the tension of the rubber compressinglips will be great enough to prevent all danger of roughing or turning up at the ends by use, and to make the grip on the leather so much the firmer. This could be made firmer still by the use of rubber cement at each end, where it was not desired to shift the tubing to different points on the rein; but in practice this would not be found necessary, unless the tubing had been imperfectly fitted to the rein.

I do not limit myself to the use of this precise kind of tubing-sheath, nor do I limit this device to its employment for driving purposes exclusively, as it may be applied to any leather, webbing, or other flexible handle where it is desirable to obtain a much greater power of grip for pulling than it is possible to do on a smooth surface.

By the use of my device the leather rein is not only prevented from slipping through the fingers or gloves, so that one man may with ease exert the power of several men over a horse, but the rein is protected from wet and consequent stiffening, is warmer for the hand in cold weather, and pleasanter to the touch with hand or glove in any weatherthe rubber, in fact, making the rein much more pliable and flexible than the bare leather. By my appliance cleanliness is also attained, so that ones driving-gloves need never be soiled by oily reins. If my tubing-sheath be used, the rein is not injured by puncturing, as it is by the use of the ordinary button now used in driving.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of the improved rein-handle, showing the method of attaching and operating the same. Fig. 2 is also a perspective view of the rein -handle applied to a section of a rein. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sec tion of the rein-handle. Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section of the handle and rein, the two parts being unattached to show the normal dimensions of the handle tubing or sheath; and Fig. 5 is a similar View of the same,showing the flexible handle stretched over the rein.

In the drawings, A represents my improved IOO soft-rubber tubing-sheath or rein-handle; B, the leather rein, which it covers; a, the reenforced friction-fianges of the rubber handle, and b the beveled closely-drawn ends of the rein-handle.

To adjust the rein-handle it is only necessary to moisten the rubber, and then to Work it over the reins from the small end farthest from the bit to any desired distance, according to the convenience of the driver. When once in place it will remain firmly fixed in spite of any strain which it is possible to exert by pulling.

Having thus described the features and operation of my device, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The flexible-rubber tubing sheath orreinhandle provided with a longitudinal aperture, as described, and constructed with contracted beveled ends operating as compressing-lips,

ble-rubber tubing-sheath or rein-handle constructed with a longitudinal aperture and contracted at its extremities, and provided on its outer face with corrugations and re-enforced friction-flanges, as and for the purposes set forth.

CHARLES K. BARLOV.

' \Vitnes'ses:

J. 1VIOBSOHAUSER, J 1:, J. M. TOWNSEND.

3. In combination with the rein, the flexi- 

